IKEA Joins Forces With Apple, Becoming An AR Launch Partner

On Monday, IKEA’s digital transformation manager Michael Valdsgaard told Digital.di ^(http://digital.di.se/artikel/ikea-om-samarbetet-med-apple-superintressant-for-oss) that his company would be a launch partner for Apple’s recently announced augmented reality (AR) framework. The move could change how we shop for furniture very soon.

As an Apple AR partner, IKEA plans on introducing a new app allowing customers to see how furniture will fit in a home before they buy. Valdsgaard explains, “This will be the first augmented reality app that allows you to make reliable buying decisions.”

At launch, the new IKEA app will include between 500 and 600 products. The app will debut this fall.

First announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) earlier this month, the Apple ARKit ^(https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2017/602/) allows developers to create augmented reality experiences for iPhone and iPad by blending digital objects and with real world objects.

The ARKit is part of iOS 11, which will be released to the public this fall. The new iOS is currently being tested by developers.